A Rose Blossoming
by dustedoffanoldie
Summary: Finding yourself while in the arms of the one you love most.


Author's note: You have no idea how nervous I am posting this. I'm also a little embarrassed that my first fic in the Downton Abbey fandom is pure smut... Please let me know what you think, I have so many ideas for future (Sybil & Tom) stories - but no idea if anyone would be interested in my writing!

Huge thanks to my beta, shana-rosee. I played around a little after she sent it back to me, so any mistakes are mine.

The scene in italics is a flashback.

April 1919

Moving day was finally here. Sybil Branson hoisted herself up onto the wooden counter of their small kitchen and watched as Tom and his brother, Liam, carried the furniture up the three flights of stairs into their new home.

"Are you sure I can't help with anything?" Sybil asked, watching as the boys navigated one of their ma's old sofas through the small door of the flat.

"It's okay, love. We've got it." Tom smiled up at her as he reassured her, while Liam's grimacing face told her otherwise.

"Really, Tom surely, I can do _something_? I feel so useless just sitting here watching you both do everything."

"Okay," Sybil watched as that special smile bloomed on her husband's face. The one that told her that he was lost in his own excited reminiscence of their wedding day. She lifted one eyebrow at him in a move that he both hated (it reminded him of her upper class start to life) and loved (it got him a special type of excited). But like it or loathe it, in this instance it was enough to break him from his thoughts and return him to the task at hand. "Could you stand behind Liam and guide us into the living room? We're moving this thing blind."

Hopping agilely down from the counter, Sybil went to stand behind Liam, running her hand warmly over Tom's back as she walked past him, "Of course."

As she stood behind Liam, he took a deep breath, "Alright, on the count of three. One… Two…Three."

Tom groaned as they lifted the sofa up off the floor and followed her precise directions as they manoeuvred it into its rightful place across from the fire.

"Are you _sure_ this is where you want it?" Tom teased, "Because I'm _not _moving it once we put it down."

Sybil bit her lip and gave a quick nod. "Yes, it's perfect here."

"Okay, Liam, after three, we're gonna put this thing down… one…two…ahhh," before either of them knew what had happened, the sofa had slipped out of Liam's hands, leaving Tom carrying the full weight of the sofa on his own and being forced to let go himself only seconds later – causing his back to spasm.

"Mother of God! Liam! What the hell happened to three?" Tom rubbed the bottom of his back, sending his brother an evil look.

"Jesus, Tom. I'm sorry." Liam made his way over to his brother. "Sit down… At least _now_ you have somewhere to sit…" Sybil held back a laugh as she watched Tom send his brother another evil eye, before his natural sense of humour took over and he broke into a laugh.

"I think we're done for tonight anyway." Sybil said, as she sat herself down in the middle of the two brothers.

"I know I am." Sybil watched again as Tom winced, hearing the real pain behind his words, as he arched his back, obviously hoping the gentle movement would help stretch out his muscles a little.

Sybil didn't even think about placing her hand on his lower back, and giving it an affectionate, yet firm, rub. "Maybe you should go and have a hot bath." She told him.

"Yeah, maybe." He replied, but still not moving.

"Liam, we can't thank you enough for eve…"

"I can." Tom interrupted. "I can thank you, plenty enough! My back can especially thank you enough!"

"Tom!" Sybil gasped as she shook her head at her incorrigible husband. "As I was saying, Liam, we can't thank you enough for everything you have helped us with today. We really appreciate it."

"It's been no trouble at all, Sybil, really."

"Still, we'd like for you to go and have a drink on us." Sybil smiled, reaching in to her pocket book and taking out five pennies, before handing them to Liam.

"Honestly, it's not a bother." He said, trying to give the money back to Sybil.

"We know, but it would have cost us a lot more to have professionals help us situate ourselves. So, _please_, take it." She eyed her brother in law with *that* look, closing his hands firmly around the coins, leaving him no room to object any more.

"I… thank you." He muttered, nodding at both Sybil and Tom as he left.

Once the front door had closed, she heard Tom let out a faux sigh of relief "Ah, finally!" He grinned back at her. "I know we went away for a few days after the wedding, but this feels like the first time I have truly had you all to myself since you became Mrs. Branson."

Sybil smiled and lent her head on his shoulder. "You should probably have a bath," she said as she kissed his cheek softly.

"You think it will help?"

"It can't hurt… she let voice trail off teasingly, while murmuring just load enough to hear, "…it would help with the smell too!"

"I thought you said you liked how I smelled after a hard day's work?" He smirked at her, and she knew the exact conversation he was remembering, specifically the blushing confession she made to him on the boat over to Ireland.

"Back at Downton, in the garage? Yes. You smelled of cars and oil, this is just…Urgh..." she couldn't stop her nose wrinkling. "This just… smells," she laughed, watching his face change from shock to playful in the blink of his beautiful eyes.

"Oh really?" He laughed back, reaching across to tickle her. "Ahh, Jesus!" he groaned, both of them forgetting for a moment that he had indeed hurt his back.

"Come on; let's get you in the bath."

XxXxXxX

"I've brought you some aspirin," Sybil said, as she knelt down next to the bath.

"Thanks, love."

"Do you not want to try and lie back?"

He took the pills from her and downed them, finishing the entire glass of water at the same time. "I tried, it wasn't comfortable."

"You've probably pulled something," she soothed, running a hot sponge down his back.

He sighed. "That feels _really_ nice, love."

Sybil leant forward and rubbed her thumbs across the bottom of his back in small circular motions.

"Wha… what are you doing?"

"Giving you a massage. I thought it would help." She replied with a little uncertainty in her voice. "Sorry, should I stop?"

Tom turned his head slightly, so he could see her better. "God, no. Please don't stop, that feels amazing," Sybil captured his sigh with her mouth - only intending it to be a chaste kiss, to thank him for letting her take care of him like this, for treating her equal once more. However, once she started she found the allure of her husband's mouth too strong and just couldn't stop. His mouth opened slightly and the tip of his tongue teased her soft full lips. Sybil didn't even try to fight the moan that escaped her. She almost laughed inwardly, remembering the first time they kissed like this. Able to almost feel once more the wide eyed shock after he slipped his tongue into her mouth and gently introduced her to her most erotic experience to date.

"_Was that okay?" he asked, the dim light from the garage illuminating her pale skin, making it look creamier than usual._

"_Yes," she whispered, unable to bring herself to look him in the eye._

"_Sybil, darling, look at me," he pleaded, as he ran his fingers down her cheek, bringing her head up to look at him. "Are you sure? I didn't mean to scare you."_

"_You didn't. I just wasn't expecting…that," she admitted shyly._

"_Did you like it?"_

"_Yes," she whispered. "Very much."_

"_Good," he sighed, leaning towards her once more "Then I say we do it again, and again… and again."_

"_Did I do it right?" She asked, almost too quietly for him to hear. Her small hands shaking slightly as they rested on his shoulders, "I know you've done this before and..."_

"_Yes. You were perfect. Absolutely perfect," he promised her, his mouth mere millimeters away from hers. "Come here, so I can kiss you again."_

She pulled back, and smoothed down the back of his hair. "I'd ask what you are so happy about, but I know exactly where your mind wandered too just then." She smiled at him. "I love that memory too."

She leant in for another quick kiss before resting her forehead against his. His reply made her heart stutter.

"I still can't quite believe you said yes and that you're here."

"Believe it," she told him quietly, running a finger down his chest, following the line of hair and stopping just above his belly button.

"I believe it. I'd believe it more if you got in here with me," he grinned mischievously.

"There isn't enough room in there for the both of us," she laughed.

"There would be if you sat on my lap," Tom explained cheekily, and she just knew he was enjoying watch the colour rising in her cheeks.

"Won't I hurt you?"

"You're as light as a feather. Now, get in."

Sybil stood up, thinking about it.

"You have to close your eyes while I get undressed," she told him.

He laughed softly at her. "Sweetheart, I've seen you naked before."

"I know," she blushed. "It just… it feels different in here."

"I'll do whatever makes you comfortable."

"Okay. Now close your eyes."

"They're closed," she almost giggled then as she watched him squeezing his eyes extra tight to show her he was serious.

"Promise?"

"I promise."

Wanting to be in there with him more than she could ever imagine, she began fumbling with the buttons on her dress, until it fell lightly to the floor. Some innate feminine sense told her that with his eyes closed, his other senses would be running on overdrive. The lilac of her perfume, the lemon from the luxurious soap set Mary and Edith had given her as part of her wedding present – she could tell by the way his face angled towards her that they were all driving him crazy. He needed her. He wanted her. And that alone was enough to spur her on towards nakedness.

"Is everything okay, love?" she heard Tom ask, before she realised that she had stopped moving and had gone quiet. "If this is making you uncomfortable, you don't have to do it." He murmured, obviously misunderstanding her silence.

"No, it's not that…"

He offered her his hand, again, obviously sensing she wasn't sure what she should do or where she should sit. "I've got you. Now, come and sit on my lap. Bend your legs so your knees are resting on the bottom of the bath," he instructed, helping her get comfortable. "And face me."

"Like this?" She asked him shyly.

Tom opened his eyes. "Yes," he sighed, pulling her closer so their bodies were now completely touching. "Mmm! That's better."

He kissed her quickly on the lips, before he moved his mouth to her neck. Sucking on the delicate spot under her ear that he had discovered so early in their relationship and knew drove her crazy. "Jesus. I love you so much Sybil," she heard him mumble before burying his face in the crook of her neck.

Sybil leant back to look at him, her heart was racing, so hard that she knew he could feel it. She also knew that the lust in her eyes must be as evident as the hardness between his legs was to her – which she could tell by the tightness of his other muscles that he was desperately trying not to grind against her. He reached around and squeezed her bottom, teasingly at first, but more firmly after she let out a soft moan of approval.

His hands leisurely made their way around her shoulders and down her chest, where he softly circled one of her nipples with the tip of his finger. His mouth followed almost instantly, taking the hardened bud between his lips. Sybil sighed into the steamy room as Tom dropped his head and settled it in between her breasts, squeezing them gently together – loving the feeling of being surrounded by her.

Sybil could no longer hold back, grinding herself against his leg and the heat radiating from her center was almost too much for either of them to bear. He moved his hands from her breasts and wrapped them around her waist, pulling her even closer as he finally gave in and rubbed himself against her before he brought a hand down to her center, cupping her gently. His smirk telling her that he was immensely enjoying the way she squirmed against him. She unconsciously adjusted their position, causing him to moan out a little in pain.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm okay. I think I just need to sit somewhere more comfortable before we carry this on," he explained, a hint of frustration in his voice. "Stand up."

Sybil's inhibitions lessened dramatically by her need for him, stood immediately.

"I think you might be trying to kill me." He breathed as she watched his eyes focus in on the centre of her, which was now, in just the right place to make it easy for him to tell just how much she wanted him.

"I don't know what you're talking about," she teased, making absolutely no effort to move.

She smiled as the low growl that came from deep in his throat reached her ears, just as he reached his hands around her, and massaged her bottom, bringing her closer to his mouth. Leaning forward he pressed a soft open mouthed kiss to her warm centre.

"Jesus, I love the way you taste." She gasped at his boldness, torn between renewed embarrassment and the sheer need in her that his words stoked ever higher. He must have felt both her gasp of shock and the answering reaction on his tongue, because at that moment, he drew his eyes up to hers, without ever moving his mouth and tongue away from her and she realised they has just passed another milestone.

She had always known that he felt the constant need to tell her just how much he loved her, how beautiful she was, and how ridiculously happy he is that she said yes. That he'd had to keep his feelings to himself for so long, but now, her reaction involuntarily gave him permission to let his emotions fly and give free rein to his thoughts. She found, as his tongue stroked harder that she was more than ok with this new development.

Sybil's head rolled back, at that moment. The sight of her husband in that last second was too much for her to bear. It was deep and dark and full of want and need. God, she needed it too, so very, very much.

"We should get out," Sybil sighed, as his tongue began to slowly torture her.

"We should," he mumbled, his voice muffled from in between her legs.

Sybil had never known such a choice before. Have him continue what he was so good at doing, or having him stop for a while so that he could be more comfortable. Inevitably though, her husband's comfort would always exceed her own needs. No matter how great those needs could be.

"Well, stop what you're doing then," she laughed, but it seemed she had underestimated his own determination because the pulling of his hair and the tone of her voice didn't seem to be doing a very good job of convincing him that she actually wanted him to cease what he was doing. This was fair, because she didn't really want him to stop. Ever.

Finally, though, with one last kiss to the inside of her thigh, he pulled away, and got ready to stand. "Help me up."

Sybil stepped out of the bath and took his hand, giving him the little bit of added leverage he needed until he was upright. She then stepped back and watched as he hauled himself up and out of the bath, water splashing over the side as he stood.

"Follow me." He instructed, as he headed for the living room.

"Wait a second, I can't find my towel."

She caught the heat and demand present in his eyes before he even spoke. "You don't need it," he told her.

"But I'm all wet."

Smirking, he looked right at her, "just how I like you, now come here."

So she followed him into the living room, watching as he sat down on one of the wooden chairs from the kitchen, placing it in front of the fire. He patted his lap.

"Come here."

She got braver with each step and by the time she got to him, she was swinging her hips. A confident, yet shy smile replaced the returned nervousness of a few moments ago.

"Is this more comfortable?" Sybil asked, as she positioned herself, ready to straddle him. She waited patiently for his answer before lowering herself on to his lap, hooking her feet on to the little bar at the bottom of the chair, careful not to put all her weight on him.

"Yes," he sighed happily, closing the gap between them as he pulled her forward, clearly not interested in continuing the conversation. Which to be honest, she was more than happy about. She gave herself over to him, trusting him always as he hungrily attached himself once more to one of her nipples, swirling his tongue around the bud, before pulling it in to his mouth, and sucking gently, teasing it between his teeth. His hand snaked its way up her chest and began teasing and flicking her other nipple.

The soft little moans she refused to stifle only served to encourage him to continue what he was doing. Each time he sucked or tweaked her nipples a little harder than before, her breath got faster, each time her breath got faster, he worked at her harder. It was a cycle she was more than happy to oblige him in.

She could feel him, hot and hard against her belly and knew without doubt that he was ready, desperate to be buried inside her. Usually she knew he'd test her readiness by reaching down and inserting a finger in to the warmth of her core to ensure she was wet enough for him, but he obviously didn't need to tonight as they both could feel her juices coating his thigh were she had been rubbing against him.

She felt his hands find their way around her waist, raising her slightly, before he reached down, wrapping his hand around himself.

She pulled back slightly from him and shook her head in demand. "I want to do it," she breathed, reaching down before he could protest and wrapping her fingers around him.

She smiled at the guttural sound he made at that moment, obviously unable to process what she was actually saying – and she knew she didn't have much time to soak in this new sensation of him, as the feeling of her soft fingers slowly working him were obviously bringing him dangerously close to the edge. She laughed at him a little as she heard him grit out a ten count– in both English and Gaelic. It might have helped – a little – had she not been so… determined… in her actions. But this new sensation of power over him gave her a keen awareness that she didn't want to waste by embarrassing him.

"I want to…to put you inside me…" She felt the words tumble out of her mouth. This new power was liberating in the most fundamental of ways and she loved it.

She smiled again as she literally felt his jaw drop – Where had this sudden burst of confidence come from? She watched him carefully, hoping with everything she was that he liked this new Sybil as much as she liked being this new version of herself. She watched on, quickly realising that hearing her say those words only intensified the fire burning within him. She knew she wasn't helping matters either, by running the tip of his hardness up and down the length of her entrance.

"Holy…" he breathed, gripping her waist tightly.

"Did you want me to stop?" She taunted, slipping the tip in a little further than before.

He groaned and shook his head. His eyes unable to leave her face as she began guiding him inside of her.

Sybil looked up – knowing that her own eyes were just as dark and heavy with desire as his.

"Watch me," she instructed, "I want you to watch while I do it."

He did as he was told and watched as she slowly lowered herself onto him, never letting her eyes leave his. Her power over him was evident.

"Mmm."

He wasn't expecting that; hell, _she _hadn't expected that. They'd only been together like _this_ for a week – and while she knew that each time she got a little braver and a little less self conscious, this was a whole new Sybil, and it was clearly driving both of them crazy.

They were still for a moment; Tom's hand's holding her firmly in place, both of them taking a moment to settle their breathing.

"God, you're so beautiful," she heard him moan, as he began gently thrusting up in to her, obviously trying to take it slowly – to make it last.

"I love feeling you move inside me," she panted.

That was, seemingly, all it took – Tom could no longer control the rhythm in which he moved his hips. Wanting – needing to feel more of her, as much as she needed to feel more of him.

"Tom please," realising she wasn't beyond begging as her fingernails dug into the skin of his shoulders.

"More, Tom, please, more…" He looked at her and smiled before he removed his hand from her hip and ran it down her leg, unhooking her foot from the under bar. Pausing before doing the same with her other foot – sliding into her fully, deeper than either of them had felt before.

Her eyes went wide as she took in the new sensation. Wrapping her legs tightly around him she then placed his hands back around her waist.

"You're going to have to help me," she panted, leaning forward, and sucking his earlobe in to her mouth.

She felt the shiver race along his spine, before he started lifting her and then bringing her back down, each time getting a little faster than before.

"Aye, this feels good," he moaned, his Dublin accent getting stronger and more pronounced as she made him control.

Although they were new at this, Sybil could tell that he wouldn't last much longer, and that knowledge made her want to push him over the edge. Make his orgasm like a tidal wave, forcing it to take over his body, feel the muscles in his legs and stomach tense; pushing him to the point of making it almost unbearable, yet pleasurable at the same time.

She knew she didn't have long herself, she was so close.

As he snaked his hand down in-between her legs, teasing and rubbing until it was all too much. Her body tensed and shuddered, and she realised that it was the sound of her voice saying his name over and over again that finally tipped him over the edge.

"Oh, Tom," she moaned, her back arching as she rode out the last few waves of pleasure. "I love you, _so_ much," she breathed, resting her forehead against his; their breathing both ragged and heavy as they came down from their high together.

Kiss, "that," kiss, "was," kiss, "wonderful."

Sybil ran a hand through his hair, "Is your back okay?"

"I don't care," she felt him grin as he rested his forehead in-between her breasts.

She shook her head and laughed, "Tom, seriously."

"What? It's the truth. I promise you; ever since I sat down in this chair my back hasn't hurt."

"Maybe you should stay there for the night then."

"The chair had nothing to do with it, sweetheart. It was all you. It's always all you."

Sybil held him tighter, dropping a gentle kiss to his mouth.

"It's always all you, too, Tom. It always will be."

The End


End file.
